TOWN TOPICS

BY DONNA EVERS
DECEMBER 2009

At Truman's Inauguration. L-R Bess Truman, Perle Mesta, Harry Truman, Margaret Truman.

In Washington, parties take on special meaning. Political currency can rise and fall over glasses of chardonnay. Just recently, Michaele and Tareq Salahi became famous — or infamous — by crashing a state dinner and shaking hands with the president. This was the first such state dinner the Obamas hosted, and might be the last, since the White House now has to re-examine their whole security network.

Starting with Dolley Madison, who hosted big, noisy open houses in the White House with a crush of guests, parties in Washington are more influential than any other city in our country. Social gatherings are so important that hostesses have risen to the importance of statesmen. From the 1920s to the 1940s, three women ruled social Washington. Known as the "Three B's," Mrs. Beale, Mrs. Bliss and Mrs. Bacon gave parties that made them the gatekeepers to social Washington. The word was that when you moved to Washington, you dropped your calling card at the "the Three B's," and then you went to the White House.

And as a final gift to Washingtonians, each of these three hostesses left their homes to the public. Mrs. Bliss left us Dumbarton Oaks, Mrs. Beale gave us Decatur House and Mrs. Bacon left the Dacor-Bacon House as a club for retired Foreign Service officers.

The exceptionally proper aspect of social Washington that the Three B's inspired changed with the advent of Gwen Cafritz and Perle Mesta. Perle Mesta had presidents for friends — Eisenhower once played piano at one of her parties - and she gave massive banquets that were the toast of the town. Gwen Cafritz used the method of scoring a big name guest, like a Supreme Court Justice or ambassador, then using them as bait to get the rest of her prominent guests to attend.

The Kennedy era was different again. Jackie Kennedy, with her own personal blend of couture and culture, did a lot for Georgetown dinner parties, and when she moved into the White House, the glamour meter went crazy. She refurbished the White House and the parties they held there. A glittering guest list, gourmet cuisine and music provided by maestros made the public feel that they were basking in the same happy glow as the guests at the parties.

We have another photogenic young family in the White House now, with two cute kids and a dog. We saw the family welcoming their White House Christmas Tree and we watched the four of them light up the massive Christmas tree on the Ellipse. Oprah's Christmas Special at the White House gave the public a visit with the president and his glamorous wife, and a tour of the historic rooms of the "people's house," sparkling with gorgeous Christmas displays.

Just looking at the evolution of the famous gingerbread house lets you know how opulent these public festivities have become. What started many decades back with a homemade frosted gingerbread house about 18" high, is now a re-creation of the White House, covered with white chocolate and weighing nearly 400 pounds! But whether your gingerbread house is big or small, this is the time of year to celebrate friends and family. Whether you are drinking Diet Coke or Puligny-Montrachet, let a little bit of that Washington sparkle get in your central nervous system and enjoy the party that surrounds you in this beautiful city.

Georgetowner/Downtowner; Combined Circ.:50,000